Cards -- my kids make the cards now or I will do an e-card (if it is a friend or distant family member). I do buy dh a card for our anniversary and his bday. But the kids make all the other cards.

Gifts -- we buy for my immediate family. We do a male & female grab bag gift for dh's side of the family. And I buy for my 2 god daughters and I always make sure before buying for anyone to ask what they need this year, rather than just buying something. I'm doing a lot of gift cards this year.

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Well I still do cards and gifts for birthdays, but I also look for the cheapest cards. Christmas cards are my favorite, I love sending them and getting them. With my husbands family we don't exchange gifts between the adults, only the kids and the in laws. In my family we draw names and you buy one gift for an adult, but we buy for the children and our parents. I can't imagine christmas without giving my parents a gift. It's once a year, as are their birthdays. It's never anything hugely expensive, but shows that we love them and think of them. But I believe that every family has their way of doing things, and no ones way is necessarily the right way. Just what is right for your family.

Holiday cards (didn't think about that when I first posted) -- last year I took a nice family picture and sent an electronic Holiday card. What does everyone else do?

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Since my parents are divorced, I have a mom, step mom, and MIL; Dad, step dad, and FIL. This is our last year to buy for the 10 neices/nephews (thank goodness!) I bought their gifts throughout the year, so thats why this will be the end. With our MANY parents, we have found a system that works for us. We buy for Christmas & BDays. Since we would have THREE people to buy for each Mothers & Fathers Day, we don't. We go out to see them and give them an inexpensive or homemade card. They have been completely happy with this (or so them seem) so it's working for us I don't mind buying for birthdays, because they are spread through out the year...

We only buy for our two children, six nieces and nephews, both sets of parents, my brother and sister-in-law, plus my best friend and her children.

We cut out all other adults. Then I buy a little something for my son's teacher, nurse and bus driver because she nice enough to give my son gets door-to-door service. It's much simpler that way and cuts down on expense and the stress of shopping. The consumerism at Christmastime is just getting insane!

My husband and I don't generally exchange big gifts. What we want or need we buy thru the year. We may buy a few smaller items for each other like a favorite book or something of the sort, but never hundreds of dollars worth of things.